As part of the federal requirements for states receiving funding under Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Funds Program, all school districts in New Jersey are providing information to the public on the procedures they use to evaluate teachers and principals. The information presented below will help you understand Saddle Brook’s policies for evaluating teachers and educational specialists such as librarians and counselors.

 

Confidentiality concerns: To protect the confidentiality of individual evaluations, districts are not required to provide a district-level statistical summary of teacher evaluation outcomes in those cases where there are fewer than 10 teachers in an entire district. Similarly, districts are not required to provide a school-level statistical summary of teacher evaluation outcomes if there are fewer than 10 teachers in a school.

Before a formal observation, which is the primary method for evaluating teachers, the administrator meets with the teacher, to be observed, for a pre-observation conference. During this conference, there is a discussion on mutual expectations for the lesson/observation. Following the formal observation, the administrator meets with the observed teacher for a post observation conference. At this time, they discuss the lesson, such as what contributed to lesson objective(s) and was the objective met. In addition, they discuss what if anything the teacher might have or would have done differently.

 

Although, we do not use formal teacher portfolios, administrators frequently "walk-through" classes in order to get a glimpse of what is happening in classrooms. This helps them to keep abreast of what teachers are doing, including observing student and teacher work samples. 

 

The Teacher Evaluation System is used for the purposes of identifying and correcting deficiencies, improving professional competence, improving the quality of instruction received by pupils of this district, and assisting in determining the teacher’s reemployment.

 

Non-tenured teachers are to be observed and evaluated in the performance of his/her duties no fewer than three times during each school year, but not less than once during each semester. Evaluations are to take place before April 30^th of each year. Evaluations may cover the period between April 30^th of one year and April 30^th of the succeeding year; except in the case of the first year of employment where the three evaluations must be completed prior to April 30^th. This policy is distributed to each non-tenured teaching staff member at the beginning of each school year.

 

The evaluation of tenured teaching staff members is essential to the achievement of the educational goals of this district. The purpose of the evaluation will be to promote educational excellence, improve the skill of tenured teachers, improve pupil learning and growth, and provide a basis for the review of teacher performance.

 

Tenured teachers are evaluated annually. Evaluations include:

 

 

This policy is distributed to each tenured teaching staff member at the beginning of the school year. 

 

Districts are not required to provide a district-level statistical summary of principal evaluation outcomes in those cases where there are fewer than 10 principals in an entire district. Saddle Brook will not provide a report on principal evaluations, as we have less than 10 principals in the district.